Jack Wignall business development manager with Chris Bryant production manager Oxfordshire-based
SRD Engineering Ltd is a family-run engineering business that operates out of a facility in Bicester, and specialises in manufacturing automotive parts. Servicing highly competitive industries such as Formula One and motorsport, SRD Engineering is renowned for the fast turnround of components. Having been in business for over three decades, it has grown into a company with over 150 employees, seeing a significant amount of growth in the past 6-7 months.
However, even companies that are at the forefront of their industries need to keep up to date in order to stay competitive. This was certainly true for SRD Engineering. For many years, the company has relied on tried and tested machining techniques to provide the excellent service it is known for. Though, with a recent higher demand for products and a need to fulfil more orders at a faster rate, it turned to Sheffield-based
Ceratizit UK and Ireland for assistance.
Working with Nev Frisby, Ceratizit’s technical sales engineer, SRD examined its machining processes, inserts and tools and outlined some areas where they thought improvements could be implemented. The company’s management team were then invited to a training day at Ceratizit’s Technical Centre in Sheffield. Led by Shaun Thornton, Ceratizit’s technical manager, SRD learned about the most up to date tooling and machining practises, and were then given the chance to put the tools and materials to the test in the workshop at the facility. Mr Frisby set up a tooling ‘swap out’, where new inserts could be tested without expense to see if they would work for SRD, and it wasn’t long before the company began to witness some incredible results.
In some instances, SRD Engineering was making a time saving of 30-40% on roughing cycles meaning that part production significantly increased. Tool life has also been increased through the use of Ceratizit’s inserts, and its EcoCut inserts are now being used across the workshop. The wide selection of tooling and inserts available in Ceratizit’s extensive catalogue also meant that SRD were able to find the appropriate tools for each job. The constant line of communication between Ceratizit and SRD Engineering meant that technical support was always on hand.
Furthermore, Mr Frisby’s regular visits, supported by Drew Pettifar, an application sales engineer at Ceratizit, allowed them to get intimately acquainted with SRD Engineering’s machines and machining needs, ensuring that whatever they recommended would be sure to make a positive impact.
Mutual respectThe professional relationship between Ceratizit and its customers is built on trust and mutual respect. SRD Engineering explained the extent to which Mr Frisby has helped them make huge improvements across various aspects of machining and production. Paul Bonham, SRD Engineering’s managing director, said: “Nev has really been incredible through this professional relationship. Nev doesn’t just sell products, he recommends products that he is confident will be beneficial for us. The constant line of contact and support we have from Nev is invaluable, and we receive a great amount of technical support from Ceratizit.”
For SRD Engineering, Ceratizit did more than just provide excellent tooling paired with technical expertise. Jack Wignall, business developer at SRD Engineering, said: “Ceratizit has encouraged us to continue to grow. It is a good reminder that there is always room for improvement in engineering- no matter how efficient you think your processes are. I definitely think this is the start of continuous improvement for SRD Engineering as we are determined to stay at the top of our game, and future-proofing the company means that we need to be up to date with tooling and machining techniques.”
The focus on future-proofing SRD Engineering extends beyond its approach to highly specialised, precise machining. The company continually invest in its apprentices, and is passionate about providing high quality, skilful training opportunities. Each apprentice working at the company is given all the support they need to succeed. Whether that is more time set aside for them to complete a course, or whether it is speaking to different people in the workshop, SRD Engineering is renowned for how positive a place it is to complete an apprenticeship.
Among the apprentices at SRD Engineering is Adam Leadbeater, who recently won Apprentice of the Year, a national award. He has since completed his apprenticeship at SRD Engineering but chose to stay on once he qualified. Adam highlighted how much support and encouragement he was given at the company, and how he felt he was given the chance thrive in his apprenticeship because of the constant support offered.
He said: “A lot of companies don’t allow apprentices to take time out of their working day for instance to complete coursework, however, SRD Engineering always made sure that I had time to work on my apprenticeship and I felt incredibly supported by everyone in the company. It is such a positive place to be, and I still feel like I learn a lot every day. There is only room to grow in this company and you can always move forward if you want to. If you are wanting to push for improvement, then someone will always be there to help you achieve your goals.”
Dedicated to their apprenticeship programme, SRD Engineering even have a training mentor, Chris Barnes, who is the apprentices’ first point of call for support in the workplace. Speaking about the value that is placed in the younger generation of engineers, he said: “We value our apprentices as it is getting increasingly harder to find skilled people who are eager to work hard and learn. SRD Engineering sees this as not only investing in the future of the company but also in the future of highly skilled machinists — apprentices are all encouraged to ask questions and learn. Bringing in younger people is the best way to keep a company growing, and to ensure that the company is strong for generations to come.”
Mr Barnes concluded: “We were all incredibly proud of Adam for winning Apprentice of the Year. We value all of our apprentices immensely, and it is rewarding to know that his hard work, diligence and eagerness to better himself every day didn’t go unnoticed. The most exciting thing for us working with Ceratizit is that this is still just the start of our relationship. If so much has been achieved already, then we can’t wait to see what the future holds for us as we work together.”